Can I Count on You?
by kpangel
Summary: ***Complete!!***5 years later. Sydney Bristow is now Sarah Hunter, a preschool teacher in Connecticut. What happens when Sloane finds her and wants her dead? Who will she turn to? The only man she trusts?
1. The Strange Man

****

Title: Can I Count on You?

Author: Kimmy

****

Rating: PG-PG-13

****

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I disclaim. Don't sue!

****

Email: hibiscus_sweetie@hotmail.com

****

Feedback: Please, pretty please? It encourages me to write more and more chapters. hehe.

****

Archived: Cover Me and Allies

****

Spoilers: None at the moment, but there may be some later.

****

Summary: 5 years later. Sydney Bristow is now Sarah Hunter, a preschool teacher in Connecticut. What happens when Sloane finds her and wants her dead? Who will she turn to? The only man she trusts?

****

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm back with another story. It just seems like once I do one story, another one pops miraculously into my brain. Weird huh? Anyways, enough with my annoying ramblings and enjoy the fic. PLEASE REVIEW!! The more reviews I get, the more I'm encourage to write more! hint hint.

**************************************************************************

****

Can I Count on You?

by

Kim Phan

Chapter 1

****

Sydney stands in the kitchen, stirring the spaghetti sauce. She picks up the spoon and tastes the sauce. Mmm...delicious. She was so glad that she had the day off today. More time to relax. She was also thankful for the wonderful friends she had here. Lauren had graciously volunteered to pick Michelle. 

Her sweet little girl who was too smart for her own good. *I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She has her parents' genes.* Sydney thought. With her dirty blond hair and bright green eyes, you couldn't help, but love her. Michelle was all Sydney had left of her old life. Francie and Will thought she was dead. To Vaughn, she might as well been dead. The only other person she ever saw from her past was her father and even then it was only once a year. 

As great as her new friends were, they could never replace her old treasure friends. Sydney wiped a tear that had fallen on her cheek. She heard the door opening and closing. She realized that Michelle was home.

"Mommy, I'm home!" Sydney turned around and smiled as the young girl ran into the kitchen and hugged her mom.

"Hey sweetie. How was school?" Sydney asked as she bent down and stroked her daughter's dark blond hair.

"It was fine except for this man. He kept asking all these questions, Mommy." Sydney furrowed her eyebrows worried.

"Like what, sweetie?"

"Well, he asked me if my mom was Sydney Bristow, but I said no because you told me that if anyone asked, your name was Sarah Hunter. Then he asked me where I live and if you used to live in Los Angeles. I told him I wasn't supposed to talk to strangers though and walked away." Michelle gave Sydney a smile. Sydney smiled nervously back. Whoever this man was, he was someone from her past. She questioned Michelle again.

"What did he look like, Michelle?"

"Umm...he had gray hair, he was kind of short, and he had scary looking eyes. They were almost black." There was only one person that Sydney could think of. Sloane. She panicked and almost forgot to breathe.

"Umm..Michelle, sweetie. Why don't you go into your room and pack some clothes and your teddy bear okay? We're going on a little trip." Michelle nodded innocently and went to her room. Sydney hurried into her room and took out her suitcase. She started piling things in. Luckily her spy expertise had taught her what to pack in dire situations. When she was done, she grabbed the phone and quickly dialed the number she knew by heart. Sydney prayed to god that he wouldn't hang up the phone.

"Michael Vaughn."

"I need your help." Sydney could hear a sharp intake of breath.

"Sydney?"

"Please don't hang up, Vaughn. I think Sloane has found me. I have no clue what to do." She could tell that her voice was breaking as she was speaking. She silently scolded herself for being weak. Sydney heard a sigh.

"Meet me at the safe house in Houston, Texas. You know where that is. You've been there before."

"Okay, thank you." Sydney heard a click of the phone and hung up. She ran out of her room and went into Michelle's room. She would think about how Vaughn was going to react to Michelle later. Right, they had to leave. For all she knew, Sloane could already be on his way to her house.

"Are you done packing, sweetie?"

"Yeah." Sydney absently nodded and led Michelle out of the house and into their car. She quickly backed the car out of the drive way and got ready to race down the street when she heard the sound of a big explosion. Sydney saw bits and pieces of her house falling in the air. Her entire house was on fire. She heard Michelle gasp in the back seat and saw her tears in the rearview mirror. Coming to her senses, Sydney drove quickly away. 

A few moments later, a man in a black SUV came up to the house. Seeing the damage, he called his boss.

"The job's done."

"Good. Make sure you get the bodies." Sloane hung up the phone and smiled. Sydney Bristow deserved what she got. It's a shame her little girl had to hurt in the process, but that wasn't his fault. It was hers. 


	2. Just Like the Picture

Thank you everyone for their wonderful reviews! I know the last chapter was sort of on the short side and this one probably will be too. I'm trying something new this time. Usually I go on and on about the past and explain everything, but I've decided that I would instead get you little hints here and there so that you can figure it out for yourself. Who is Michelle's father? What's happened with Sydney? You'll just have to read and see. hehe. Anyways, enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW!!!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 2

Sydney Bristow. The love of his life needed his help. The _former_ love of his life he reminded himself. Even after what she's done, he still was at her beck and call. Vaughn hated himself for that. Why did he have to always be the good guy? He sighed and got up from his desk. Quickly grabbing his keys and his jacket, he headed out of his office and down to his car. 

As soon as he got in, he revved the engine and sped out of the parking garage. He hated these government issue cars. Hopefully, it wouldn't draw too much attention to him though while he was in Texas. 

Vaughn knew he had to get to the safe house as soon as possible. He knew that Sydney wouldn't have called him unless she was absolutely desperate. It was rare that Sydney broke down like that. It wasn't surprising though considering that for the last five years, she was someone else, someone who didn't have to worry about the spy life. 

He would call Devlin later and explain the details. Vaughn knew Devlin would not be happy with Vaughn leaving unannounced like that, but he had broken rules before so it wasn't something new to Devlin. Jack probably wouldn't be happy either. His daughter's in trouble and he doesn't know about it. Vaughn made a mental note to call Jack at the next pay phone.

Amazingly there wasn't much traffic and he was able to get quickly on the freeway. There was no time to pack, but he had lots of credit cards and cash as well. Vaughn would have to make do for now.

Vaughn couldn't figure out how Sloane found out about Sydney's cover. CIA usually knew that kind of stuff ahead of time and he knew Sydney would have been extremely careful about her cover. As far as he knew, Sloane thought she was long dead. Obviously, someone had told him different. 

He was still pissed off that they hadn't capture Sloane yet. Vaughn knew he had started a new secret operation someplace and nobody in the CIA knew where. Vaughn had been working on this case for the past few years, but all he had were bits and pieces. Maybe I'll be able to finally get this case over with since Sloane is tailing Sydney.

Vaughn chuckled at himself for being so naive and good. He could have told Sydney no or gotten someone else to help her, but his protective instinct was still willing to keep the woman who had caused him so much hurt safe. Damn his morals.

Weiss had warned him that his emotional attachment to Sydney would cause him some pain. Eric didn't know how right he really was. Vaughn laughed bitterly as he thought back to that fateful night in France.

He started to drive faster and hoped a police officer wouldn't pull him over. Vaughn didn't have the time or the patience to deal with it.

* * * * * * * * * *

He rubbed his eyes as he turned down the street leading to the safe house. Vaughn had barely gotten any sleep. He had been driving nonstop since LA. There was no time to stop at any motels or anything. There had been barely any time to stop for food. He remember what the girl at the convenience store had said about his appearance.

__

"You look like you're running from something."

"Why do you say that?"

"Your eyes are tired. You haven't been sleeping which leads me to believe that you've been driving nonstop for a while now. You're also buying a lot of food which leads me to believe that you don't have the time to stop to eat either. So you must be running from something or someone." Vaughn chuckled.

"More like, I'm running to someone." The girl shrugged and rang up his food.

He chuckled at the memory. The girl could have made a good spy. She was very observant. 

He had called Jack and as Vaughn suspected, Jack wasn't too happy that he was out of the loop. In fact, Jack was on his way here right now. They had decided they would find out what happened to Sydney first and then figure out a plan of action. He passed some houses along the street. Even though there were houses, it was still pretty spread out. People around here tended to keep to themselves for one reason or another. He pulled up to the concrete drive way and stared at the small house. It was painted a very light blue with white lining the windows and doors. Lilacs and tulips had been planted in the front of the house and there was a small patch of grass. It was a very quaint place and you would think it was just an ordinary home if you didn't know better. Vaughn sat in the car waiting for Sydney to arrive. He glanced at his silver watch and saw that it was nine in the morning. She should be arriving any time now.

After fifteen minutes of anxious waiting, Sydney's car pulls into the drive way. Vaughn was surprised to see a small green camry. It just doesn't seem like Sydney's type of car. *Not that I know what her type of car was* Vaughn thought. He scowled and got out of the car. Vaughn made sure his face was cold and emotionless as he greeted the woman who had stole his heart.

As soon as he steps out of the car, Sydney steps out of the car as well. She looks tentatively at him as if unsure about what to do. She looked a lot different from her old self, but he guessed that was what came with having a cover. Her hair had been dyed blonde and cut short and she wore blue contacts. She looked like one of his ex-girlfriends. All of his ex-girlfriends were always blonde with blue eyes. His mother hated all of them. She always told him to find a redhead or a girl with brown hair to date since he didn't seem to be any good luck with the blondes. 

Sydney was wearing a blue skirt and a white tank top with a jean jacket over it. She still looked as beautiful as ever and Vaughn had to force himself not to check her out.

"Hello Vaughn."

He was about to reply when a small girl opened one of the rear doors of Sydney's car and came out. She looked tired and was holding a small teddy bear. The little girl had dirty blonde hair and green eyes. It couldn't be, could it?

"Mommy, who's this man? He looks a lot like my daddy in the picture you showed me."


	3. If I Can't Have Him

****

AN: Sorry for the late update. Blame it on school! I've been suffering from the infamous writer's block so if this is sort of bad, sorry. Anyways, read and enjoy! PLEASE REVIEW!!! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews from the last chapter!

*************************************************************************

__

Chapter 3

"Mommy, who's this man? He looks a lot like my daddy in the picture you showed me."

Sydney's face flushed at Michelle's words. She didn't respond. Instead she looked intently at Vaughn. His face was blank at first, then there was a flash of recognition. Soon his face was masked with anger. Sydney's observant nature noticed his hands were slightly clinched in fists. He was furious and she could definitely understand why. 

"Let's go inside first. It's not safe out here." Vaughn didn't answer, but gave a slight nod. He turned around and started going towards the door with Sydney and Michelle at his heels.

After they got inside, Sydney locked the door and spoke to Michelle.

"Why don't you go find a room sweetie and play with your dolls, okay? I need to speak with Mr. Vaughn here for a while." Michelle eagerly agreed and hurried to find a room. Sydney breathed a sigh of relief. The one thing she could rely on was that Michelle had a short attention span.

She had been looking at her hands and looked up when Vaughn spoke.

"So is it true?" Sydney sighed and turned to stare at the fireplace.

"Yes."

"Why in the hell did you keep this from me? Don't I deserve to know my own daughter?" Vaughn's voice got louder with every word. Sydney winced slightly. She had never known him to be so angry.

"I was going to tell you, but I kept putting it off because I wasn't sure how you would react. I know I hurt you when I left. Then my father visited me. He told me that you had been promoted and that you had gotten back together with Alice. I didn't want to burden you." Sydney's voice was barely above a whisper. Vaughn sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair.

"My daughter is not a burden. No matter the circumstances, you know that I would want to be with my daughter." Even though Sydney was staring at the fireplace, she could feel Vaughn's eyes on her.

"I know that, but I had doubts. I love her with all my heart and it would have killed me if you didn't feel the same way. I just couldn't take the chance. Besides I knew Sloane was watching you and if you had gone anywhere near me, he would have known my whereabouts." Sydney gave a bitter laugh "Guess it was all for nothing huh? He knew where I was and he was close to killing me."

"What? what are you talking about?"

"He placed a bomb in my house. As we were pulling onto the street, the bomb went off. We were almost killed." Sydney finally looked up and saw a look of shock pass through Vaughn's eyes.

"So he's really after you?" Sydney nodded.

"I called your father. When he gets here, we'll decide what to do. We'll probably have to put you into Witness Protection Program." Sydney looked at Vaughn, alarmed. There was no way she was going to have her daughter live looking behind her shoulder for the rest of her life. Sydney had lived enough of a lie, there was no way she was going to have that happen to her daughter.

"Please, no Vaughn. I want Michelle to live a normal life. I don't want her to have to go through what I went through." A look of surprise passed through Vaughn's eyes as he realized Michelle had been named after him. 

"I don't want her to either. We have other options, but it's very limited. We'll discuss them further when Jack gets here." Sydney nodded and sat down on the couch. 

"Why did you leave, Sydney?" They looked at each other for a second before breaking eye contact.

"You know why. I wasn't safe. Sloane was trying to find me."

"You know what I mean. Why did you leave that night? Why didn't you even say goodbye?" Sydney's thoughts flashed back to that fateful night in France. They had been taken to a safehouse there while they decided where Sydney was going to go. One thing lead to another and Vaughn and Sydney had ended up making love. Sydney left early the next morning while he was sleeping. She hadn't wanted to leave him, but she knew that if she didn't, he would never let her leave without him. For his sake, she left knowing that if she didn't, his life could be in danger.

"I had gotten a call that saying that if I didn't leave and go into hiding, you would be killed. I naturally didn't want you to be killed."

"My god, Sydney. Who was the caller?" Sydney shook her head.

"That's the thing. I don't know. It was distorted and I even tried to trace the call, but it was blocked. I knew it must have been a serious thing though if someone went to all that trouble. I didn't want to take the chance. I rather not be with you than to have you..." Sydney didn't finish her sentence, but they both knew what she meant. Vaughn moved over and sat on the couch with Sydney. He put an arm around her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. Even after all these years, he could make her feel safe and comforted.

He was about to speak when the door burst open. A woman with short blonde hair walked slowly in. There was something oddly familiar about her. She turned and looked at them with an evil look.

"I told you to stay away from him, Sydney. Too bad you didn't listen. If I can't have him, no one will." She pointed her gun at Vaughn. Sydney gasped.

*Sorry about the cliffhanger guys. Hopefully there won't be too many.


	4. The Tied Up Rookie

****

AN: I apologize profusely for the late,late update!! I've been having writer's block. grr... Anyways, thanks to everyone that reviewed. I really appreciate it. **Enjoy and please review**!!!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 4

"I told you to stay away from him, Sydney. Too bad you didn't listen. If I can't have him, no one will." She pointed her gun at Vaughn. Sydney gasped.

"Alice." Sydney could see Vaughn visibly tense up. Alice gave a bitter laugh.

"Surprised to see me? Didn't think ditzy Alice would notice if you went running after Sydney again, did you, Vaughn? Well, I'm done playing your games. It's time to pay."

Oh my god. What was Alice doing here and why in the world would she do this? Sydney didn't have time to think more about it though and only could think about how to save Vaughn. She searched desperately through her mind to come up with a distraction that would Sydney time to knock Alice out. While she was thinking, Michelle had come into the living room.

"Who is this woman, mommy?" Michelle cried in a desperate voice. Tears were falling down her face and she was hugging her teddy bear. Alice looked over at Sydney's daughter. That gave Sydney just enough time to knock the gun out of Alice's hand and tackle her.

Alice seemed to have some training in fighting because she was able to block some of Sydney's punches. They rolled around on the ground, punching and kicking until Sydney was able to knock Alice out.

Sydney looked up and saw that Vaughn had gone over to Michelle and was comforting her. They looked so much alike and she almost cried at the beautiful picture they made. At any other time, she would have tried to find a camera to capture the moment. Sydney quickly shook herself out of her reverie though since she knew Alice would be waking up soon. 

"Vaughn, we have to leave." Sydney looked into his eyes and saw fear. Not fear for himself, but fear for her and Michelle. Vaughn gave a nod and they quickly hurried out of the house.

"Let's take my car. It will be less recognizable." They quickly got into the camry and sped off. God knows where they were going to go, but there was no way they were going to stay here.

**************************************************************************

It's been many years since he last saw Sydney. He remembered the last time he had seen her. Lambert had gotten pulled off her case because Miss Double Agent couldn't deal without her lapdog in waiting. He was still bitter about it. Like he wasn't good enough to handle her. Soon after that, he quit the CIA and was approached by people in SD-6. Lambert soon joined Sloane and has been on a quest to locate Sydney ever since. He wanted his revenge. No one rejects him and gets away with it.

Lambert had thought she had been killed in the explosion, but when they searched for bodies, none were found. After some questioning of many people and some lucky traces, he was able to locate her. She had gone to the Texas CIA safehouse, probably to meet her lapdog nonetheless.

He pulled his car slowly into the driveway of the safehouse. Lambert could see two cars in the driveway as well. One was a white sedan and the other looked to be a government car. As he looked at the front of the house, Lambert saw that the door was ajar. He got out of the car and crept slowly up the walk way. He took his gun out and got prepared to shoot as he entered the house.

As Lambert opened the door though, the house was empty except for a petite blond woman laying on the ground. As he looked curiously at her, she started to wake up.

"Ohhh..." Lambert pointed his gun at her and questioned her. She sat there rubbing her head and composing herself.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" She looked at him strangely and surprised him by laughing.

"You're obviously new at this. It's shoot now, ask questions later." Alice rolled her eyes at him and surprised him even more by kicking the gun out of his hand.

Before Lambert knew what was happening, he was tied to chair and the blond woman was getting ready to leave. She stood looking at him for a minute as if measuring him up. 

"You know, it's a shame you're working for Sloane. Otherwise, we could make a good team, that is, after you stop being such a rookie." Lambert's face turned red. It was one thing to tie him up, but it was a whole different story to insult his pride. He tried to free himself from the ties, but it was useless.

"How do you know I'm working for Sloane?"

"I don't, but I know Sloane is after Sydney and this," Alice gestured around the room, "was where she was hiding so I assumed. Now I must go. Murder doesn't wait for anyone. Ta-ta." With that, Alice quickly walked out of the house. As Lambert sat there trying to free himself or at least get to his cell phone, he thought about what a crazy person that blonde woman was. Who was she and how did she know Sloane was after Sydney?

*Look, I know the Lambert thing is really out there, but compared to my other options, he was the best choice so work with me here. 


	5. You Taught Me That

****

AN: Thanks to everyone that has been loyally reviewing. I truly appreciate it. Anyways, Merry Christmas to everyone!! I hope you enjoy the chapter and PLEASE REVIEW!!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 5

Of all the years he had been with Alice, Vaughn had never suspected she would ever do anything like this. Alice was the sweet girl, the understanding woman who thought he was going to work every time he rushed out on her at dinner. He guessed he was wrong this whole time. 

Vaughn's hand tightened on the steering wheel. He tried to concentrate on the road, but it was hard. There were too many things going through his mind. Sydney, Michelle, Alice. All important women in his life that he knew nothing about. He knew Sydney, but they had never really got a chance to talk about their lives so in reality, he knew very little about her. He of course didn't know anything about Michelle; Vaughn was still mad at Sydney for not telling him, for keeping his daughter a secret from him. Then there was Alice. The woman he thought he knew the most was actually an evil obsessed person. Vaughn shook his head.

They had been driving for only a couple of minutes. Everyone in the car was silent, thinking about the many things that had just happened. Amazingly, it was Michelle that spoke first. You would think she would ask about Alice or why they were running, but she asked about Vaughn instead.

"Are you my father?" Vaughn could see her looking curiously at him from his rearview mirror. Vaughn cleared his throat and spoke.

"Yes." Michelle didn't say anything. She just nodded and went back to staring out the window. Vaughn almost thought the conversation was over when he heard Michelle speak again.

"Where were you?" Vaughn didn't know what to say. What was he supposed to tell her? That her mother kept her a secret from him. His lips thinned into a grim line and worry lines appeared on his forehead. Luckily, Sydney answered for him.

"Your father has been away on a long trip, but he's back now and he's going to be here for you whenever you need him." It was a lame excuse, but he couldn't have thought of a better one. As he looked in the mirror, he saw that Michelle seemed satisfied with that answer and went back to looking out the window. She soon fell asleep.

"Where are we going, Vaughn?" Vaughn stole a glance at Sydney. She looked lost and confused. He wanted to take her into his arms and hold her forever, but he didn't want to take the chance. Vaughn didn't want to get hurt again. He knew she had a plausible reason for leaving him, but it didn't make it hurt any less. She should have known that he would have taken the chance of getting killed just to be with her. She was worth it.

"We're going to Arizona. I have a friend who owns a private airplane that can take us to Canada. My father, before he died, bought a small cottage in Canada. It's located in a very small town that most people haven't even heard of. We'll be safe there."

"What happens then?"

"Well, you and Michelle will stay at the cottage while your father and I search for Alice."

"Why search for her, Vaughn? If she doesn't know where we are, there's no harm." Vaughn sighed.

"We don't know what she's capable of, Sydney. It'll be much better if we find her first, than if she finds us." Sydney knew he was right, but was scared of what might happen to him if he went searching for her. Alice wanted Vaughn dead and there was no telling what she would do to make it happen.

"What about Sloane?"

"There's not much we can do. We don't know who Sloane has sent out to find you and we have no idea where Sloane could be. You should be safe at the cottage though. We'll have to take the necessary precautions, but the only thing you can really do is stay in hiding." Sydney nodded. There was more silence in the car as they continued driving.

"Did you ever run a background check on Alice?" Sydney looked at him with a questioningly glance.

"No. I didn't think there was a need to. (pause)I know what you're going to say. I should have been more careful, less naive. It was just...she seemed to innocent. She was always understanding even though she knew I didn't truly love her."

"Some people are good at keeping secrets and acting. You should know that." Vaughn looked over at Sydney.

"Of course, you taught me that." He didn't know why he said that. Vaughn guess he was still bitter that Sydney had kept all these secrets from _him_. The man she said she trusted and would never lie to. Sydney winced at his comment and looked out the window. He sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sydney. I didn't mean it." Sydney shook her head as she wiped at her eyes. Vaughn's heart ached. He hated to see her cry.

"No, I deserve it. You have every right to be mad at me." Vaughn didn't respond. What was he supposed to say? She was right. He was mad at her and he did mean what he said. Vaughn still felt bad about hurting her though. He bet even if she shot him, he would still not want to hurt her. Damn him for being so in love with this woman.

He ran a hand through his hair as he exited the freeway to Freelance Airport. He suddenly remembered that Jack didn't know about the new change of plans. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he handed it to Sydney.

"Here, call your dad. Tell him about the new plans." As Sydney dialed the number, Vaughn had a sinking feeling that his life would never be the same after this and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

*Sorry for the lame chapter, everyone. I just wanted to show how Vaughn was feeling about all this. More action in the next chapter I promise! Please review, it makes my fingers type faster...lol.* 


	6. Mommy Missed You

****

AN: Consider this my Christmas present to all of you! Two chapters in one day! Enjoy and as always PLEASE REVIEW!!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 6

"Where are they going?!?" Alice pointed the gun at the airplane technician's head. 

"Calm down, miss. I, uh, think the pilot said something about taking them to that cold country up north." She pressed the gun closer to his head.

"Which country? All countries up north are cold." The man was literally shaking by now.

"Canada." Alice released the gun from the man's head and kicked him to the ground. Turning away, she headed to find a pilot that would make a trip to Canada. 

Now where in Canada did Vaughn go? She didn't remember any relatives of his living there. Knowing she would need some help on this, she picked up her cell phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello?"

"It's Alice."

"Alice, darling. How's your trip? Kill him yet?"

"Cut the casualties, Sark. I don't have time for your crap. That damn girl you're after knocked me out before I even had the chance. Now I want you to find out if Vaughn or her have any connections in Canada. That's where they're headed. Call me right away."

"Always the temperamental one. You really need to learn to control yourself. I'm not surprised Sydney knocked you out. She has always been the superior agent."

"Shut up, Andrew. Just call me when you get the information." With that, she hung up the phone. If she didn't need his help so much, she would squeeze that little British accent right out of him. Spotting a young handsome pilot, she put on a fake smile and headed towards him. She was going to kill Vaughn if it was the last thing she did. 

*****************

"What do you mean they got away?" Sloane cried fiercely into the phone. Lambert had to put the phone away from his ear for a second. He tugged nervously on his tie. This was not good. There was no telling what Sloane was capable of when he was angry.

"Calm down, sir. I have everything under control."

"Everything's under control?? She's escaped from you twice now! Why aren't tailing her right now?"

"Well, you see, there was another agent at the Texas safehouse. A woman and she sort of tied me up." Lambert winced, waiting for Sloane's reaction.

"Lambert! You fool! Can't you do anything right? Who was the woman?"

"I'm not sure, sir. She knew that you were after Ms. Bristow though." He heard Sloane sigh into the phone.

"Just finish the job or I'll finish you. Do you understand me?" Lambert gulped.

"Yes sir." He hung up the phone and started to speed up. There was no way he was going to get killed because of Miss Double Agent and her faithful lapdog. There was just no way.

*************

As Sydney opened the door, Vaughn carried Michelle inside and laid her on the couch. She was still sleeping soundly. Sydney wasn't surprised though. After all the driving and running they had been doing, Sydney was exhausted too. 

The cottage wasn't half bad. It was fully furnished and had all the necessary appliances. There were two bedrooms. Wait, only two bedrooms? This could be a problem. Sydney quickly thought of a solution though. She and Michelle can just sleep in one room and Vaughn can sleep in the other. Right. Great solution. She breathed a sigh of relief. Sydney had been so lost in her own thoughts that she jumped when Vaughn spoke.

"Are you okay?" Vaughn raised an eyebrow. Sydney seemed to be acting strangely. 

"Yeah, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. You tell me." Sydney sighed.

"It's just the stress of everything is getting to me. That's all." Vaughn nodded, not entirely convinced. 

"I'm going to go make us some dinner." Vaughn turned and headed towards the kitchen.

"Where's the bathroom? I need to take a shower." 

"Down the hall, on your left." Sydney grabbed a couple of things out of her suitcase and headed towards the bathroom. 

Vaughn found enough ingredients to make spaghetti. Getting out a pot and putting some water in, he waited for it to boil. As he was waiting, Vaughn could hear the distinct sound of running water. Images of Sydney in the shower started popping into his mind. Rubbing his head, he muttered to himself. *This was not good. I shouldn't be thinking about this right now. Damn Weiss and his influence.*

Luckily, Michelle had woken up by this time and had walked into the kitchen. She'll make a great distraction from his impending thoughts. Michelle stood there staring at him. He stared back. Finally she spoke.

"Mommy missed you, you know. I used to hear her cry in her sleep, calling your name."

*I know I promised some action, but it really didn't fit into this chapter. Sorry! Maybe the next one. *Ducks flying object* Anyway please review! Bye! 


	7. I'm Sorry For Everything

****

AN: Okay, at first I wasn't going to write anything today, but I'm so so bored right now, it's not even funny. It's good for you guys though cause I'm writing another chapter. lol. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!! I would list all the people but there are too many to name! I'm glad you guys are liking Michelle. Amazingly enough, she was probably the character I developed the least. I didn't really think very much about her character, I just wanted it to fit in the story. Well, enough chatter. Please review!!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 7

"Mommy missed you, you know. I used to hear her cry in her sleep, calling your name."

Vaughn didn't know what to say. His daughter seemed too smart. He felt sad for her. It was like she knew too much and had grown up too fast. Where was the childlike innocence and playfulness that came with childhood? Vaughn still couldn't come up with anything to say so he hugged her instead. Picking her up, he wrapped his arms tightly around his little girl and lightly stroked her smooth blonde hair. It wasn't fair for Michelle to have suffered so much. He didn't care what it would take. Vaughn was going to make sure Sloane and Alice never see the light of day again. 

"Promise me, Daddy." Vaughn pulled away from Michelle slightly and looked into her eyes. 

"Promise what, sweetie?"

"Promise me you won't leave again. That you will always be here for me." There was hopefulness in her green sapphire eyes. Vaughn smiled at her.

"Of course, Michelle. I won't ever leave you again. I promise." He stood there holding his daughter for what seemed like eternity. God, Vaughn had missed so many moments in her life already. He'll be damned if he missed anymore.

Michelle smiled mischievously as she spotted her mom entering the kitchen. She quickly hid it though before her mother saw her. 

Tears started appearing in Sydney's eyes. It had only been in dreams before that she would see such images, but now it was reality and she was determined to keep it that way. She didn't want to interrupt but it looked like the water on the stove was boiling over.

"Vaughn? You might want to turn off the stove," Sydney said gently. Vaughn quickly put Michelle down on the ground and ran to turn off the stove.

Sydney quickly wiped at the tears on her face as Vaughn turned back around.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Michelle looked curiously up at her mother.

"It's nothing, sweetie. Why don't you go play okay and I'll call you when dinner's ready." Michelle didn't believe her, but knew she had to listen to Sydney so she nodded and walked back into the living room.

"Are you okay, Syd?" Sydney nodded as Vaughn looked at her with a concerned look.

"Yeah. It's just seeing you with Michelle...it was nice." Vaughn nodded, understanding. They stood there silent for a moment. Neither knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry, Michael." Vaughn looked up at her surprised.

"I'm sorry for everything. For running, for not saying goodbye, for not telling you about Michelle. I know sorry isn't enough but...(pause) please forgive me, Vaughn! please!" Sydney leaned against the kitchen counter and slid down until she was sitting on the cold tile. Sydney was sobbing now. She tried to stop, but the tears kept falling. Out of her blurred vision, she saw Vaughn in front of her kneeling down. He looked at her with pain in his eyes. Slowly, Vaughn took her in his arms.

***********

As the plane were flying over Washington, Alice received a call from Sark. 

"Did you get the information?"

"What no hello?" Alice rolled her eyes even though she knew he couldn't see her. Why he insisted on this nonsense banter was beyond her. There was only so much patience she could have.

"Just give me the information, damn it!" Her voice sounded deadly which wasn't far from the truth.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your pantyhose in a bunch. William Vaughn bought a cottage in a small town called Benetville before he died. That's probably where they are heading." Alice smiled into the phone. As much as Alice hated to admit it, Sark was good.

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later after I finish the job."

"Good luck." Alice laughed into the phone.

"I won't need it." She hung up the phone and smiled to herself. *Here I come, Vaughn.*

*************

Sark laughed to himself as he hung up the phone. Alice was so confident. Sometimes too much. It will probably be the death of her, but that wasn't his problem. As long as she killed that handler of Sydney's, Sark was happy. He was going to get Sydney if it was the last thing he did. As Sark turned around in his chair, he was startled to see none other than Jack Bristow himself standing before him.

"Sark."

"Jack, what can I do for you?" Before he knew what was happening, Jack had Sark pinned to the wall and was squeezing the life out of him.

"You are going to help me get to her, you son of a bitch and when you do, you'll be lucky if I let the both of you see the light of day." Sark gulped nervously as Jack let him go. He knew who Jack was talking about. Alice. It was just a matter of time before Jack would figure it out. Summing up his courage, he questioned Jack.

"What's in it for me?" Jack gave him a deadly stare.

"Your life." Sark tensed up. Not very many people could scare him. Jack was one of the few. Him and Irina. Thank god, those two never teamed up against him. There was only so much he could handle.

"Fair enough. Let's go."

Jack gestured with his hand. "After you, Mr. Sark." As Sark exited his office, he felt something hard hit his forehead and then he saw black. 


	8. Stay With Us Awhile

****

AN: Thanks to everyone for the wonderful, wonderful reviews. Now it seems that I need to clear up a mix-up. Maybe I should have put some Sark said, Jack said tags into the dialogue because some people were confused. So here's what happened. Jack visits Sark and threatens him. Sark agrees to help since he didn't really have much of a choice in the matter. As they go to leave, Sark goes out first and gets knocked in the head and becomes unconscious. Hopefully this was helpful to those who were somewhat confused. Alright, onto the story! Oh, review please!! BTW, if you can't get to the fic at first, it's probably because fanfiction.net is having problems. Try Allies or Alias Boards or Cover Me.

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 8

Sydney pulled slightly away from Vaughn and looked into his eyes. Those green eyes that could make a girl melt looked at her with gentleness and sympathy. 

"Thank you," Sydney whispered. Vaughn nodded. Everything was said in that brief exchange. Vaughn had forgiven her and Sydney was grateful for that.

"We better go eat." They got up from the floor and started preparing dinner.

While they ate, they talked and Vaughn got to know his little girl better. Facts were being put together and questions were being answered. It was a pleasant dinner for all involved.

After they were done, everyone sat on the couch in front of the fireplace talking and laughing. Soon it was getting late and Michelle had fallen asleep.

"She must be really tired. I'm not surprised though. This trip has taken a lot out of her." 

"You should probably get some rest too, Syd. You need it." Sydney nodded as Vaughn picked up Michelle and headed towards one of the bedrooms. Sydney followed close behind.

Once they got to the room, Vaughn laid Michelle down on the bed and started to leave when he felt Sydney's hand lightly touch his arm. He stopped and turned towards her.

"Stay with us awhile, Michael." Vaughn was surprised she had used his first name. He looked into her eyes and saw vulnerability. He didn't want to leave her, but wasn't sure if it was a good idea to stay either. Vaughn looked at Michelle and back at Sydney again. With a sigh, he gave in.

"Alright, for a little while." Sydney took his hand and led him to the bed. She climbed in beneath the covers and hugged their daughter. Vaughn climbed in next to Sydney and they soon fell asleep. To onlookers, it would have seemed like a married couple comforting their daughter after she had a nightmare. To people who knew better, it was something that no one would have ever thought would happen.

*********

"Oooh..." Sark mumbled as he started to wake up. He sat up in the airplane seat and looked around at his surroundings. When he saw Jack, Sark immediately remembered what had happened.

"Glad you could join me, Mr. Sark."

"You didn't have to knock me out, you know. I would have come willingly."

Jack shook his head. "I'm not so sure. I needed to be reassured and knocking you out was the best way."

"Did you have to hit me so hard? I could have been brain dead."

"Oh, don't be such a baby, Mr. Sark. I'm sure you've suffered worse than this before." Sark remained silent. He knew Jack was right, but Sark just liked to complain anyways. He likes to get to people and annoy them. It keeps them on their toes.

"It will probably be too late. Alice was already on her way when I called her."

Jack nodded. "Yes, but we are closer to Benetville and I had access to a jet. We will get there earlier than she will."

"I still don't understand why you need me to help you." Sark looked at his hands which were currently in handcuffs.

Jack looked at him with a smirk. "You're my hostage, Mr. Sark. In case things don't go so well, you'll be my bargaining tool."

Sark started laughing. "Jack, you fool, Alice doesn't care one bit for me. She would be relieved to see me die."

"Yes, I would be too if I were her but I'm sure Irina wouldn't be too happy about it. Even Alice wouldn't dare cross her." Sark remained silent. Jack got him there. Sark was Irina's right-hand man, and she would probably kill Alice if Alice got him killed.

"We're almost there. Just a few minutes and we will be landing. You had better hope, for your sake, that she isn't there yet." Sark gulped. He hated when Jack made him nervous. He was worse than Irina at times.

********

Knocking sounds on the door woke Vaughn up. He gently nudged Sydney to wake her up.

"Hmm...five more minutes." Vaughn smiled as he nudged her again.

"Syd, wake up. There's someone at the door. It's probably your dad, but just in case..." Sydney's eyes opened wide and she sat up.

"I'm going to go see who it is. If you don't hear me give an okay, I want you to take Michelle and climb out of the window." Sydney looked at Vaughn with fear in her eyes.

"Vaughn, no! I'm not going to abandon you here. I need you. Michelle needs you." Vaughn gave her a gentle smile.

"It'll be okay, Sydney. No matter what, I'll always be with you." Sydney sighed, but finally nodded. Vaughn got off the bed and headed towards the door. He gave a sigh of relief when he saw that it was only Jack.

Opening the door, he was surprised to see who Jack's companion was.

"Jack?" Vaughn raised his eyebrow towards Sark and gave Jack a questioning look.

"He's working with Alice. I thought he could be some help to us." Vaughn nodded and stepped aside for them to come in. No longer had he done that that he heard a scream come from the bedroom where Sydney and Michelle were.

*I'm not sure yet whether I want to include Irina or just have mentions of her. What do you think? BTW, pretend Irina never turned herself into the CIA. Anyways, review and you can find out who screamed and why.


	9. Torture and Promises

****

AN: Thanks to all the wonderful people who have been reviewing!! I'm still undecided about Irina so you'll just have to wait and see. Although it's not like I would tell you ahead of time anyways, there's no fun in that!! Note, I'm not very good at writing action so bear with me. Anyways, enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 9

More screams kept coming from the room as Vaughn ran towards it. When he went inside of bedroom, he saw Michelle on the bed screaming. On the floor was Sydney and a man that looked like... Lambert? Lambert was on top of Sydney trying to stab her with a knife. Sydney was of course trying to keep the knife away from her. 

After Vaughn took in the scene in front of him, he immediately kicked Lambert off of Sydney and grabbed the knife out of Lambert's hand. Giving him a hard kick in the head, Vaughn knocked Lambert unconscious. 

After catching his breath for a moment, he helped Sydney up from the floor.

"Are you okay?" 

Sydney nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. What's Lambert doing here?"

Vaughn looked over at the unconscious man. "I'm not sure. We'll find out soon enough though once we interrogate him."

"Please, let me do the honors, Vaughn. No one messes with my daughter and gets away with it." Vaughn looked over at Jack surprised. He forgot that Jack was even here in the confusion. Vaughn looked around to find Sark, but couldn't see him anywhere. Worry lines appeared once again on his forehead.

"Jack? Where's Sark?" 

Jack's face flushed. "I forgot to watch him in all the confusion. He must have escaped."

Sydney looked from Vaughn to Jack and back. "What are you guys talking about?"

"It's nothing to worry about Sydney. I sort of kidnapped Sark so that he could help us capture Alice, but it seems he has escaped. He's been working with her." 

Sydney's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean it's nothing to worry about? Sark just escaped and he's probably going to tell Alice where we are and you're telling me not to worry! My gosh, Dad. I know we're in the spy business and all, but that is cause for worry."

"Mommy?" Sydney turned towards Michelle. She felt so bad now. In all the stuff that's been going on, she forgot that Michelle was in the room as well. She quickly went over to Michelle and hugged her.

"Oh, sweetie. Are you okay?" Michelle was crying by this time.

"Mommy, why are these people after us?" Sydney stroked her daughter's hair.

"Because they are bad people and bad people don't like when others are good."

"Will they ever go away?" Sydney had tears in her eyes by this time. She felt so bad for her daughter. Michelle shouldn't have to go through this. Sydney made a promise to herself right then that she would keep Michelle out of danger no matter what.

"I'm not sure, sweetie."

Sydney felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder. She turned her head to look at Vaughn.

"Sydney, if you want, we can leave her with my mother. She'll be safe there. I'll even have a security team look after them." Sydney looked into his green eyes and nodded.

"Alright." She turned back to Michelle and smiled sadly.

"Mommy! I don't want to leave you and Daddy. I want to stay with you guys." Michelle held onto her mother tighter.

"It's okay, Michelle. We won't be gone long and you'll have your grandmother there to take care of you. I just know she'll love you and you will have tons of fun. I promise." Sydney didn't want to leave her daughter, but she knew it was the only way to keep her safe. As she looked back at Vaughn and her father, she saw that they now had Lambert tied to a chair and her father was trying to get him to wake up. Vaughn looked back over at Sydney.

"Syd, why don't you take Michelle to the living room?" Sydney nodded understanding. Michelle didn't need to see this. Sydney knew about her father's interrogating methods and they weren't pretty. Taking Michelle's hand, she led her to the living room.

After a couple of tries, Jack was successful in waking Lambert up.

"Hmm? What happened?"

"You tried to kill my daughter! That's what happened!" Vaughn was desperately trying to keep Jack away from Lambert before Jack knocked Lambert unconscious again.

"Jack, calm down. I want to kill him to, but we have to find out who he's working for." Jack knew Vaughn was right so he calmed down.

"Who are you working for?" Jack asked as he started pacing around the room.

"What's it to you?" Jack stopped and looked Lambert in the eye.

"If you value your life Mr. Lambert, you will tell me who you are working for." 

Lambert obviously didn't know Jack because he had the nerve to question him.

"Is that a threat?"

"Don't make this hard. I know many ways of torture that aren't pretty. If you don't start talking soon, I'll use them on you."

"I would listen to the man, Lambert."

"What do you know? All you ever do is serve Miss Almighty Double Agent." Lambert looked bitterly at Vaughn. This time it was Jack who had to hold Vaughn back. After a couple of minutes, Vaughn calmed down and sat down on the bed.

"I'm getting tired of this." Jack grabbed Lambert's fingers and started to break them.

"Owww! Stop! I'll tell you what you know." Jack let go of Lambert's fingers.

"I work for Sloane. He wants Sydney killed." 

Jack laughed. "You know, as much as I despised the man, I thought he had more sense than this. To pick a sorry person like you for an agent was a bad decision on his part."

"God! Is everyone picking on me? First it was that crazy blonde girl and now you!" 

Jack shrugged. "I'm just telling it like I see it. A better agent wouldn't have given up so easily to mild torture." Jack punched Lambert and knocked him unconscious once more.

"Jack, we better go. Alice will probably be here soon."

"You go. Take Sydney and Michelle and leave. I will meet you in Washington. I'll take care of Alice." Vaughn gave Jack a questioning look.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes besides I have to make sure Mr. Lambert here gets to prison safely." Vaughn smiled briefly and turned to leave.

********

Opening the door to the motel, Alice walked in and sat on the bed. Sark walked in closely behind her.

"I'm glad for the help and everything, Alice, but why did you rescue me?"

Alice shrugged. "I'm going to need your help and I realized Irina wouldn't be too happy with me if I let you die."

"But why didn't you try to kill Vaughn back there?"

Alice shook her head. "Timing is everything, Sark. If I had tried to kill him right then and there, either Jack or Sydney would have killed me on the spot. Mostly like Jack would. You may think I'm out of the loop, but I know what Jack's capable of. He's almost as deadly as Irina."

Sark nodded his head. "You're right about that. So what are we doing here?"

"Waiting. Planning. This is going to be harder than I thought. I'm going to need a good plan if I'm going to pull this off." *and I am going to pull this off.* Alice thought with an evil smile.


	10. That Would Be Nice

****

AN: Okay, so I was writing this chapter and I was almost done when my computer went wacko and I couldn't save it!! Grr!! Anyways, sorry for the late update! There's just no excuse for it! So today, you get two chapters instead of the usual one! 

Since Mrs. Swearingen asked about my other fan fics, I've put up the links for them here.

__

Fate Intervenes: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1088013

__

Fate Intervenes- Vaughn's POV: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1092026

__

A Difficult Surprise: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1105576

Alright onto the fic. Enjoy and as always, REVIEW!!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 10

Vaughn pulled the camry into the driveway and put on the parking brake.

"This is it." Vaughn was glad they would be staying here awhile. He didn't think he had the strength to leave Michelle just yet. They had just gotten to know each other. At least she would be safe here with his mother. Brigitte Vaughn was in for the shock of her life. All these years, she had been nagging him about settling down, finding a wife, and having children. Little did they know, Vaughn already had a child. A wife? He wasn't sure he would have that.

Vaughn got out of the car and helped Michelle get out. She held onto his hand and held onto her mother's hand as well. They walked up the brick path towards the door. Once they reach it, Vaughn hesitantly knocked. They waited for a moment in uncomfortable silence for someone to open the door. Finally Brigitte Vaughn opened it and gave the group a surprised look.

"Michel? What is all this about?"

Vaughn sighed. "Bonjour, Maman. How about we go inside first, okay?"

Brigitte nodded briefly and they all went into the living room. Brigitte sat in the arm chair across from the couch where Vaughn, Sydney, and Michelle were sitting.

"You have a wonderful house, Mrs. Vaughn."

"Please, call me Brigitte." Sydney nodded and gave Brigitte a warm smile. *I've only met this girl, but I like her already.* Brigitte thought.

"So, explain." Brigitte looked at Vaughn expectantly.

"Well, this is Sydney Bristow and our daughter, Michelle." 

Brigitte's eyes became wide as she took in what he had said. "What? How? Okay, start from the beginning."

Vaughn took a deep breath and began. "Sydney used to work for the CIA. I was her handler. She was a double agent and I gave her her counter missions. We became friends over the years and fell in love. We couldn't tell anyone of course because it was against protocol and we would have been killed if SD-6 had found out. A couple years after I met Sydney, we were finally able to take down SD-6, but Sloane escaped. He's been after Sydney ever since. We went to Paris five years a go and stayed there for a night while we waited for word from Devlin. The next morning, Sydney left because she had received a call from someone saying that if Sydney didn't leave, I would be killed. Recently she contacted me because Sloane had found her. We've been running from Sloane's agents and Alice for the past few days."

"Wait ? Alice?"

"Alice was the person who called Sydney in Paris." 

Brigitte's eyes registered shock and then amusement. "I knew it, Michel! She was no good. I never liked her and I hate her even more now." Vaughn nodded, but didn't say anything. Luckily, he didn't have to. Michelle did.

"So you're my grandmother?" Brigitte looked over at the little girl that had her son's blonde hair and green eyes and smiled.

"Yes." 

Michelle nodded thoughtfully. "Mommy and Daddy says I'm going to be staying with you." Brigitte looked over at Sydney and Vaughn, confused.

"We want her to stay here where it's safe while we figure this all out. We don't want her to be in danger any longer." 

Brigitte nodded. "Of course. You should have brought her here sooner. I will not have my granddaughter be in any kind of danger, not while I'm alive."

Brigitte came over to Michelle and picked her up. "Now come on, Michelle. We'll go into the kitchen and bake some cookies."

"Are you two staying long?" Brigitte asked over her shoulder. Vaughn and Sydney smiled at each other. It was obvious that Brigitte was falling in love with their little girl. Then again, it was hard not to.

"We're staying here for a couple of days until Sydney's father shows up," Vaughn told her.

"Alright, well I'll show you to the guest rooms once I'm doing making cookies with my granddaughter," Brigitte called from the kitchen.

Sydney stood up from where she was sitting and walked over to the windows. There was a view of the countryside from Brigitte's backyard and it was beautiful. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw that Vaughn had joined her.

"Do you think we'll ever have a normal family, Michael?"

Vaughn looked over at Sydney and smiled. "Syd, truthfully, I don't think our family will ever be completely normal, but I promise you I will make it as normal as possible for you and Michelle." Sydney nodded, content with his answer.

"Sydney, after we capture Alice, it will still be many years before Sloane's new organization is taken down."

"I don't want to keep doing this, Michael."

Vaughn nodded. "We'll just have to leave the country then. Start a new life."

Sydney smiled. "That would be nice."

Vaughn reached over and draped his arm over her shoulder. Sydney leaned into him as they watched the sun go down.

*Okay, more evil Alice, action, and other stuff in the next chapter! Bye! 


	11. I'll Do It Myself

****

AN: Alright! Here's the next chapter like I promised! Bye! BTW, I lied, no action, but there is some excitement! REVIEW!!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 11

"So what this big plan of yours?" Sark started flipping the channels of the hotel television.

"I'm still thinking about it." Sark smiled with amusement.

"You know, by the time you're done thinking, they'll be out of the country."

Alice glared at Sark. "Shut up!" 

Sark put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Alice didn't have time to answer because her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" From the look on her face, Sark knew it was Irina.

"No, Ma'am. We haven't gotten the chance." Alice sighed. She knew it wasn't a good enough answer for Irina, but it was the best one she could come up with. Irina started talking about the importance of bringing Sydney to her and how nothing else mattered.

"I know it's important that we bring Sydney Bristow back, but you promised me I would get my revenge on Michael Vaughn as well." Irina told her that she was going to come here to finish the job. Alice was getting frustrated. She had been doing jobs for Irina for years and it was the first time Irina had interfered. It's was Alice's job and she would finish it. 

"What? I can do this!" Alice sighed, "Fine. See you in a couple of hours."

"What did she say?" 

Alice gave him a dejected look. "She's coming here. Irina obviously doesn't think we're capable of doing this ourselves so she's coming to finish the job."

Sark shook his head. "This is all your fault, you know."

Sark had some nerve calling it her fault. "My fault? You were the one that got yourself captured!"

"It's not my fault Jack Bristow is a dangerous man. I know what he's capable of and so do you."

Alice sighed and laid down on the bed. She was so annoyed with Sark and now Irina was coming here. This was not good, not good at all.

**********

Irina turned off the phone and headed towards the door. Alice and Sark were so incompetent. If she wanted to get something done, she knew she had to do it herself. Irina didn't care so much about having Mr. Vaughn killed as much as she wanted to speak with her daughter. 

Having the skills that she had, she was able to easily pick the lock and head inside. The whole house seemed to be dark. There was a distinct smell of smoke in the living room indicating that whoever was here had used the fireplace. 

As she roamed into the kitchen, she saw a pot of leftover spaghetti indicating that someone had been having dinner. Irina headed towards the bedrooms. The first bedroom she came to was dark, but there was enough light from the window to see into the room. There were rumpled sheets on the bed and some chairs and things were out of place. Irina sensed that there had been a struggle here. She knew it must have been one of Sloane's men since Alice hadn't been here yet. 

As she was about to turn around and explore some more, she heard a click on a gun and a familiar voice.

"Don't move." 

Irina smiled. "Hello Jack." 

"Irina?"

*Sorry about the shortness but I wanted to end it here.


	12. Sounds Good to Me

****

AN: Once again, thanks to all for your wonderful reviews!! I never expected to get such a good response for this fic! 

If you're looking for something else to read, try my other fic, Poisonous Mistletoe. It's short, but sweet. lol. 

http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1150572

or

http://alias.fredfarm.com/allies/story.php?no=110

Anyways, read, enjoy, and as always REVIEW!!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 12

"Irina?" Jack raised an eyebrow at her as she stepped closer into his view. 

"Jack, why don't you put down the gun?" This woman had some nerve telling him to put down the gun. After all these years and all the things she has done, Irina should be glad Jack hasn't blown her head off by now.

"Not until you tell me what you're doing here." Irina studied him intently.

"I'm here to get my daughter."

Jack laughed. "Your daughter? Why the sudden interest? You've haven't had the need to speak or see her in years! Why now?"

"I've had a change of heart." Irina shrugged. She knew Jack wouldn't believe her, but that was his problem, not hers.

Jack gave a bitter laugh. "Don't give me that shit! You having a change of heart is like saying the Easter bunny is real."

Irina laughed. "Glad to see you've kept your sense of humor all these years, Jack."

"Don't push me, Irina." Jack looked at her with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Irina sighed. "Look, there's something I want to tell her. Something she needs to know. I've been putting it off for a while, but now I think it's time."

"Are you going to tell me what that something is?" Jack looked at Irina expectantly.

"No."

Jack sighed. "Well, if you're looking for her, you're too late. She's gone."

"Great, just great. More time I have to waste." Irina sighed, "Sorry Jack, but I must get going. Can't be behind schedule now can I?" Irina knocked the gun out of Jack's hand causing it to fly across the room. Before Jack knew what was happening, Irina had climbed out of the window and Jack was left with a sore hand.

Jack wasn't usually like this, but Irina always seemed to have this effect on him. Jack sighed as he went to go watch Lambert.

"What was that all about?" Lambert looked up at Jack curious. He hadn't ever met Jack before, but Sloane had told him that Jack used to work for him, but was a traitor like Sydney. He wondered what had gone on in the other room. Jack's face had looked distressed when he walked in.

Jack looked at Lambert with contempt. "Nothing that concerns you."

Lambert sighed. "How long am I going to be here for?"

"Not much longer. A CIA team is coming to get you in a couple of hours." Jack sat down in a chair opposite Lambert and studied him intently.

"Great." Lambert gave a snort.

"It is great. I can finally get rid of you. How Sloane deals with you is beyond me."

"I can't believe you're such a traitor. You were working for Sloane and here you are working for the CIA. How did you keep Sloane from finding you anyways?" Lambert asked, curious.

Jack gave a bitter laugh. "That's none of your business and I'm a traitor? You're the traitor working against your own country."

"Our country is corrupt. SD-6 is just trying to make it better."

"God, does Sloane still feed you people that nonsense?"

"It's not nonsense! It's the truth." Jack shook his head and sighed. 

*************

"So what are you two up today?" Brigitte asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Sydney and Vaughn had just entered the kitchen and were preceding to find something to eat.

"I'm not sure, Maman. It's probably best we stay here," Vaughn said as he found some cereal and started to pour it into three bowls. If he didn't know better, this would seem like a normal morning with his family.

"Well, I'm going to take Michelle to church today." Brigitte took a sip of her coffee.

"Maman..." Vaughn looked at his mother suspiciously.

"What? Is it a crime to want to show off my granddaughter to my friends?"

Vaughn shook his head and sighed. Sydney had been watching the two of them interact and smiled. Vaughn really loved his mother and she loved him too. Sydney was envious of the carefree relationship they had and wondered if she would ever have that with her father.

Sydney was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Michelle come in until she heard her speak.

"Daddy! What are you up to today?" 

Vaughn picked Michelle up. "I'm not sure, sweetie but I promise we will do something together tonight, okay?"

Michelle nodded enthusiastically. Sydney smiled at the pair.

"All right, Michelle. Are you ready to go?" Brigitte asked as she grabbed her keys from the kitchen counter. 

"Yeah! Bye Mommy! Bye Daddy! Have _fun_!" Michelle waved at her parents as she started to leave the kitchen with Brigitte. After she left, Sydney and Vaughn shook their heads and smiled at each other.

"Do you think they planned that?" Sydney asked with a smile.

"Knowing my mother, of course." They looked at each other and burst out laughing. 

"So what would you like to do, Ms. Bristow?" Vaughn came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him.

"Relax." Vaughn smiled.

"Sounds good to me."


	13. Surprises for Everyone

****

AN: Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews! You get two chapters today because I forgot to update yesterday! Sorry! Okay, so read, enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW!!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 13

Sydney yawned quietly and got out of bed. After changing into sweat pants and a tank top, she got ready to leave for a jog. Sydney quickly wrote a little note for Vaughn so he wouldn't be worried. It was really early in the morning so she quietly made her way out so that she wouldn't wake anyone up.

As she stepped outside, she breathed in the cool fresh air of the morning. The sun was just starting to rise and all the houses seemed calm and peaceful. Washington must be a nice place to live all year round. She started to jog around the block. Sydney needed this. Some time to think and relax. So much had been going on since she was escaping Sloane in Connecticut. Not only that, but it seemed now that Alice and Sark were after her. 

Her shoes pounded lightly on the pavement as she kept on jogging. As she was thinking about all this, Sydney suddenly had a feeling like someone was watching her. She kept on jogging, but looked around more cautiously. As she looked to her left, she saw a slight movement behind a tree. Pretending to tie her shoe, she stopped and bent down while still keeping an eye on the tree. Sydney saw a slight movement again and quickly tackled the person.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked at the person she just tackled.

"Mom?"

************

"Where is Irina? She was supposed to be here hours a go!" Alice sighed and she paced around the hotel room.

Sark was lounging on the bed and laughed. "You actually believed that she was coming here?"

Alice stopped her pacing and looked at Sark with alarm. "What?"

"I've learned from experience that when Irina thinks you can't finish a job, she will finish it herself and when I mean herself, I mean by herself. She doesn't want or need any help. Telling you that she was coming was just to prevent you from doing anything stupid."

Alice glared angrily at Sark. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Why bother? Enjoy it, Alice. We get to relax while Irina does the dirty work."

Alice shook her head. "You don't understand! I want my revenge on Michael for all the hurt he has caused me! I want it to be me that kills him, no one else. After all, that was the agreement. I work for Irina as long as she would let me kill Vaughn if he ever went back to Sydney. She promised me that!"

Sark shook his head in sympathy for Alias. "You just don't get it, Alice. You think that after all those years that you worked for the KGB, that you would understand that people don't always keep their promises. They just say whatever it takes to get you to comply with them. She needed more information about the CIA. You were dating, although it was undercover, Mr. Vaughn who worked in the CIA. It was the perfect way to get information. Did you really think that she would let you kill Vaughn? The man her daughter loves."

"Why would she care? Irina Derevko is a heartless person who doesn't give shit about her daughter. I still don't understand why she wants to talk to that bitch anyways."

"You mean she never told you?" Sark looked at Alice in surprise.

"Told me what?" 

**************

Vaughn got up slowly and stretched. He looked over and saw that Sydney was no longer in bed. He looked on the bedside table and found a little note.

__

Michael-

Gone for a jog. Won't be long. See you soon.

Love,

Syd

Vaughn smiled and made his way into the kitchen to get some coffee. It was still pretty early so no one was up yet and Sydney probably wouldn't be back for a while. As he stepped into the kitchen, he felt cold from the tiles on the floor. The sun had come up and was shining brightly into the kitchen.

After he got the coffee ready, Vaughn poured himself a cup and sat down on the couch to relax. It didn't last long though because the doorbell rang.

He sighed and got up from the sofa. It rang again.

"Coming!" Vaughn said, annoyed that someone would be visiting his mother this early in the morning. He unlocked the door and opened it.

"Hello, Vaughn." Jack said with a nod.

"Jack. Come in." Of course it's Jack. They had only been here two days and Vaughn was already forgetting about all the trouble they were in. He scolded himself for not being more alert and for being so forgetful.

"Do you want some coffee?" Vaughn asked over his shoulder as he made his way back into the kitchen.

"Yes, thank you." Jack followed Vaughn into the kitchen.

Vaughn started pouring coffee into a cup for Jack. "So did Lambert get transferred okay?"

"Yes, they're taking him in for more interrogation and then he's going to be spending a lot of time in jail. I've made sure his stay will be as unpleasant as possible."

Vaughn nodded with a slight smirk on his face. The two men stood sipping coffee in silence for a moment before Jack spoke.

"Irina found me."

Vaughn almost spit out his coffee; he was so surprised. "What?"

"She was looking for Sydney. Irina said she wanted to tell Sydney something. I'm guessing by your surprised look that she hasn't been here."

Vaughn shook his head. "No, she hasn't. I'm not surprised though. This is too obvious a place for us to go. They would never expect us to go here."

Jack nodded although he wasn't entirely convinced. "Where's Sydney?"

"She went out for a jog."

Jack's eyes widened. "What? You let her go out by herself. What if someone had been waiting out there for her?" Vaughn hadn't thought about that, but Jack was right.

"We better to go find her." Vaughn quickly got dressed and left a message for Brigitte. Jack and Vaughn made their way out to find Sydney hoping that nothing had happened to her. 


	14. I Don't Believe You

****

AN: Read, enjoy, review!!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 14

"Mom?" Sydney looked at her mother incredulously. What in the world was she doing here?

"Do you mind getting off me, Sydney?" Sydney didn't budge. There was no telling what her mother could do if she did so she wasn't going to comply.

"Not until you tell me what you're doing here." 

Irina sighed. "I just want to talk to you, but it would be much more comfortable to do that if you got off of me first!"

Sydney sighed. She knew Irina would just find away to get her off anyways so she finally got off of Irina and sat in the grass.

"Go ahead. Explain."

"I wanted to help you."

Sydney raised an eyebrow at her mother. She wanted to laugh. "Help me? Are you out of your mind?"

"No. Sydney, what is there left for you? Sloane is after you. CIA can't help you anymore. All you've got left is me."

Sydney looked at Irina with a shocked expression. "I have other options. I have Vaughn and my father. I don't need you."

"They may be able to help you, but there's a limit to their capabilities. I have limitless resources. I can get you anywhere and Sloane would never find you."

Sydney raised an eyebrow at her mother. "How do I know I can trust you? What's in it for you?"

"I will give you, Michelle, and Vaughn a place to hide out, different aliases, the works as long as you let me come to the wedding and have visits with your family every week." Irina looked intently at Sydney as if she were studying her.

"My wedding? How do you even know I'm going to get married? Vaughn hasn't even asked me yet!" Sydney was freaking out by now. She really didn't know what Irina was up to, but she sure as hell was going to find out.

"Oh, get a clue, Sydney. The man's head over heels for you, of course you're going to get married."

Sydney sighed. "Why now? Why all this?"

"I've made a lot of mistakes in the past. A lot of things I regret. Having you was not one of them. I loved you from the moment I held you. I didn't want to leave you, but I was stuck too deep into all the secrets and lies. It's taken many years, but now I'm on my own. No attachment to anyone or anybody. I want to make amends."

"What about Sark? Isn't he your loyal servant? Last I heard he was working with Alice which means she is working for you." Sydney wasn't convinced that Irina was making amends. It just seemed too easy.

Irina nodded. "Yes, they are working for me. I've been keeping Alice on a leash so to speak so that she wouldn't do anything drastic when it came to Vaughn. I know she tried to kill him, but I knew she wouldn't have been able to get anywhere near him with you around anyways. Sark's judgement is clouded. He thinks that if Vaughn is gone, he would actually have a chance with you. Since they are working for me, they will do whatever I tell them to do. I'll make sure they never bother you again."

"This is too easy. I don't believe you."

Irina sighed. "There's nothing more I can say to you for you to believe me. You just have to trust me. I'll give you a couple of days to think about this. Here's my number."

Irina handed her a card and Sydney looked at the number intently. When she looked up, Irina was gone. Sydney got up and started walking when she heard a voice call her name.

"Sydney!" She looked up and saw both her father and Vaughn coming towards her.

"Didn't you get my note, Mike?" Sydney gave Vaughn a puzzled look.

"Yes, but Jack said that someone might out here waiting for you so we had to come find you." Vaughn had a relieved look on his face.

Sydney looked at Jack. "Well, Dad, you were right."

Vaughn gave Sydney a shocked expression. "What?"

"Irina just finished talking to me a couple of minutes a go."

"Wait? How? What happened?"

"When I was jogging and I saw some movement behind a tree. I soon realized it was a person and tackled her. It turned out to be my mother."

"What did she want?" Jack asked with an alarmed look on his face.

"She said she wanted to help us. To give us aliases and keep us hidden."

"What did she want in return?"

"She said she wanted to come to the wedding and visit my family every week."

"Is she crazy? You aren't even engaged yet." Jack asked.

"That's exactly what I said. She wants to make amends, she said. I don't believe her though."

Jack looked grim. Vaughn looked at the both of them with a worried expression.

"I wouldn't believe her either." 


	15. In Five Hours

****

AN: Okay, Mindless! This is for you since you've been telling me to go write more already!! lol. Anyways, sorry once again not updating sooner. This will probably be my last day for updates until Jan. 6th because I'm going to Las Vegas for my birthday. Anyways, enjoy and we'll see how many chapters I can write today. The more reviews though the fast my fingers type..lol. Enjoy!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 15

Sydney sat on the bed staring at the phone in her hand. She had been sitting here for fifteen minutes thinking about her decision regarding Irina's proposition. The part that was bugging her the most was when Irina mentioned going to Sydney's wedding. How could she be so sure Sydney would be getting married? When she had told Vaughn and her father about it, Vaughn had been quiet and thoughtful. He didn't really remark about it. Sighing quietly, she finally started dialing the numbers she had just memorized.

"Have you thought about my offer?"

Sydney looked at the phone in disbelief. "How did you know it was me?"

Irina laughed. "No one else has this number. So what's your decision?"

"Let's say we do go along with you. What's going to happen?"

"Well, I'll make it seemed like all three of you were killed. No one will be aware of where you're going or what you will be doing. I'll take all of you to a remote place in France near the coast and give you new aliases. I will, of course, be staying near by so I can visit you easier."

"That's it?" Sydney was still skeptical about this.

"What else is there?"

"I want Alice and Sark in CIA custody. I don't want them coming anywhere near us ever again."

"Alright. I'll arrange it. So it that a yes?"

"Not yet, if you get Alice and Sark into CIA custody, I'll agree to your plan."

Irina sighed. "Alright. I'll contact you later."

************

"I can't believe you, Sydney! I can't believe you would actually agree with her. After all she's done, haven't you learned anything?" Vaughn was pacing around the living room, obviously angry.

"I didn't exactly agree with her. I told her that if she got Alice and Sark into CIA custody, I'll agree to her plan." Sydney looked over at her father. Jack hadn't spoken since Sydney told him and Vaughn about the call to her mom. He seemed to be in deep thought and looked troubled.

Vaughn sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Syd, how can you trust her?"

Sydney looked up intently at Vaughn. "I don't, but if she can get Alice and Sark into CIA custody, I'm not going to stop her. I _told _her I would agree to go along with her, but it doesn't mean I will agree."

Jack spoke up for the first time since this conversation started. "Sydney, you don't want to play around with your mother. She is a dangerous woman and she doesn't like being tricked. The best thing to do now is go along with her. It will be dangerous since we don't know what she's up to, but it's the only thing we can do."

Vaughn sighed, but agreed with Jack. He knew there was nothing more they could do. Tricking Irina was more dangerous than going along with her. Just then, the phone rang.

They all looked at it, no one wanting to answer. Finally, Sydney picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Sydney. Here's what you have to do. Call up the CIA and tell them to have a team go to the cottage in Canada. That's where they can ambush Alice and Sark."

"Alright. What time should they be there?"

"In five hours."

***********

"Sir? We've received intel indicating that Lambert has been brought into CIA custody."

"What? When was this?"

"About an hour a go." Sloane sighed and looked up.

"You may go now." The agent exited the office, glad to be away from the Sloane's wrath.

Sloane put his head in his hands. He couldn't believe that Lambert had been stupid enough to get himself captured. He thought Lambert had more experience than this. What was he going to do now? Sydney must be brought to justice.

*************

Alice was pacing the room when the phone rang. She looked at it as it rang again and then picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Alice, in five hours I want you and Sark to meet me at the cottage. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the hotel, but my plane was delayed. Since we are running out of time, it will be better to meet there."

"Alright." Alice hung up the phone. She wasn't sure if she should go to the cottage or not. Maybe it would be more worth it to irritate Irina more by not going. Alice laughed quietly to herself. She still didn't know what Irina was up to. When Sark found out Alice didn't know, he kept it to himself and wouldn't tell her. Damn him. Alice banged her hand on the table.

"So what was the phone call about?" Sark asked as he started flipping the pages of a magazine.

"Irina wants us to go to the cottage in five hours."

"And you're thinking about not going, am I right?" Sark gave Alice an amused look.

Alice glared at him. "So what? I'm sick of her tricks. Why can't I trick her for once, huh?"

Sark shook his head. He couldn't believe how naive Alice was. "Because you would be dead the next morning. Do you really want that, Alice?"

At first, Alice thought he was kidding, but when she looked into his eyes, Alice knew Sark was serious.


	16. Believing and Dental Records

****

AN: Okay, this is my last chapter until probably Jan. 6th, so very sorry!! Enjoy and as always review!!

**************************************************************************

__

Chapter 16

Alice parked the car and shut off the engine. Getting out of the car with Sark, they walked slowly to the door. Alice had a nervous feeling about this, but quickly shook it off.

Sark tried the knob and was surprised to find it open. He looked at Alice and shrugged. They slowly entered the house. It was dark and lonely.

"I guess Irina's not here yet," Sark whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Alice whispered back.

"Why are _you_ whispering?" Alice sighed and shook her head. Sometimes Sark could be so weird.

Suddenly they saw a person emerge from the shadows and laugh.

"Are you two done arguing?" They looked at Irina in shock.

"You're here already?" Irina rolled her eyes. These two could be so dense at times.

"Why would I be standing here if I wasn't? Anyways, thank you for coming. Unfortunately, Sydney and Vaughn have escaped. They are no longer here."

"So where are they?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's none of your business."

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that where you two are going, the last thing you need to know is where they are." Both Alice and Sark looked at her puzzled now. They soon figured out what was going on though as a dozen men started surrounding them.

"You traitor!" Alice cried. Irina just stood there and laughed.

Alice and Sark started backing up towards the door, only to find it locked. One of the men lunged for Alice and she kicked him in the gut. Soon all hell broke out and Sark and Alice were doing whatever they could to escape the CIA men. Chairs and furniture were being thrown around. Kicks and punches started flying around as well. It wasn't enough though and soon Alice and Sark were captured.

"You'll pay for this, Irina," Alice said bitterly as the men lead her and Sark away.

"I can't believe you would do this." Sark said in disbelief as a pair of handcuffs were placed on him.

"Believe it." Irina said with an smile. Sydney may not believe it, but Irina meant it when she said she wanted to make amends. She wanted to be normal again and she wanted her daughter to have the same.

**********

Sloane sat in his home office as he tried to think about a plan to kill Sydney. Lambert was now out of the question and he didn't have many more agents that would be willing to do this sort of thing. He didn't even know where Sydney and her little girl were.

Sloane sighed. There was time when Sydney was like a daughter to him, but like Emily, Sydney had disappointed him. Emily was disposed of and Sydney will be too. There was no way she could or would jeopardize his new organization. The Alliance was gone, but Arvin Sloane was not. One day, he will have his dream come true.

An evil smile appeared on his face. He then heard the doorbell ring. Who could that be? Sloane didn't remember having an appointment to meet someone at his home today. He shrugged it off and went to answer the door. 

When he opened the door, no one was out there. There was only a book on the ground. He wondered who had put it there. The book was titled _The Mole. _What could this mean? Sloane picked it up thinking that a book could do him no harm. Opening the book, he found a little handwriting note in cursive. It read:

__

A gift from a former friend. Enjoy life in hell.

Irina

Sloane scrunched his eyebrows together, confused. Then he saw what she meant. On the opposite page, was a small bomb that read: 00:00:02. This was it. All his hard work was going to be destroyed. This was not how he wanted to die. It starting ticking off and soon there was a huge blast. 

The house was completely destroyed and when the police arrived at the scene, Arvin Sloane could only be identified by his dental records.

*Hehehe(my evil laugh..lol.) Anyways, there's probably only going to be two or three more chapters after this which will probably be up on Monday and Tuesday unless there are delays due to homework. In that case, go talk to my teachers. :D


	17. Epilogue: Can I Count on You?

****

AN: Hey everyone!! I'm back from Las Vegas, aren't you happy? haha. I learned something important there, Las Vegas is not for little kids. Anyways, here's the last chapter. I just want to thank all of you that have been reading my story from the start. I really appreciate it. I've loved writing this story and I hope you enjoyed it too. I can't believe we're at the end already, but it has been awhile. So, read, enjoy, review!

**************************************************************************

__

Epilogue

She sat on the rock watching the waves hit the shoreline. The sun was just setting and the wind lightly whipped her long brown hair around. In the distance, she could spot a family of four playing near the water. Smiling slightly, she thought back to everything that had happened the past year.

After Arvin Sloane had died, his organization eventually collapsed. Nothing was left of it or the Alliance which was a relief to everyone. There was still evil and corruption as always, but it was less dangerous than before. After everyone learned about what happened to Sloane, Sark, and Alice, things started becoming more normal. 

Irina's proposition was now void and Sydney wondered why her mother had decided to do that. Whatever the reason, Sydney and Vaughn were grateful to her for it. It took awhile, but they learned to trust her. 

Everyone went back to Los Angeles including Irina. The CIA knew she was there, but were too grateful for what she had done for them to arrest her. Although they weren't the ideal mother/daughter, Sydney and Irina developed a close relationship. Vaughn was civil enough to her and was able to forgive her in time.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"Grandma! Come play with me!" Michelle called as she came running up to Irina.

"What about your mom and dad?" Irina asked with a smile.

Michelle rolled her eyes. "They're too busy playing with the baby. It's always William this, William that. What's so adorable about him?"

Irina laughed as she saw Vaughn sneak up behind Michelle. 

"What's this about your brother, Michelle?" Vaughn asked with an amused look.

Michelle jumped since she didn't realized her father was behind her. She looked at him with a sweet smile. "Nothing, Daddy. I was just telling Grandma how adorable Will is."

Irina shook her head with a smile. Even though she knew she was caught, Michelle was still trying to deny it.

Vaughn raised his eyebrow. "You know it's not good to lie, Michelle."

Michelle sighed. "I'm sorry, Daddy, but you and Mom only want to play with Will. It's not fair." She crossed her arms indignantly and pouted.

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry. Tell you what, how about we play some Frisbee with Donovan? Just the two of us." Michelle nodded her head in delight and the two headed off to play once more.

As soon as they left, Sydney came up to Irina, holding her baby.

"Where are those two going?" Sydney asked, motioning to Vaughn and Michelle in the distance. 

"Michelle was getting jealous of Will so she got Vaughn to play some Frisbee with her and Donovan."

Sydney shook her head. "She is going to be spoiled rotten when she grows up. I keep telling Mike to stop giving in to her, but he never listens. It will be interesting to see how he acts once Michelle starts dating. I'm not so sure he'll give in so easily to that." 

Irina smiled still stuck a little in memory world. "I _know _he won't give in easily." 

Sydney looked at her mother confused as she cradled the baby in her arms. "How do you know?"

"At your wedding reception, Jacob came over to our table when you were in the restroom. It was so sweet. He asked Michelle to dance. You should have seen Michael's face when he heard that. It was priceless. Luckily for Jacob, Michelle declined because her feet were hurting. Otherwise, he would have been scarred for life by your husband."

Sydney laughed. "Poor Jacob. Mike can be so protective of her sometimes. It's so weird that Will and Francie's son has a crush on Michelle. If they ever grew up and got married, all our families would be inseparable."

Irina smiled and the mother and daughter shared a moment of silence as they both started thinking about other things.

"I never thought this would happen, Mom. My life seems normal for the first time. Mike and I are married; we have a family. You and Dad are on good terms. _We _have a close relationship. I can actually drive to the supermarket without having to worry about tails or kiss Mike whenever I want. I'm truly happy for once in my life."

"I'm glad, Sydney. Of all people, you deserve it the most." 

They sat in silence once more watching Michelle, Vaughn, and Donovan. The sun had finished setting and the stars were brighter than normal tonight. Waves were crashing onto the shore and people were starting to leave. Soon the beach became deserted and they all decided to head home.

***********

Vaughn sighed and slumped down the coach next to Sydney. He looked exhausted, but happy.

"It took awhile, but I finally got them to go to sleep."

Sydney smiled and leaned her head on Vaughn's shoulder. "Mike?"

"Yeah?" Vaughn asked as he wrapped his arm around Sydney.

"Promise me it will always be like this from now on. Visits to the beach, time with my family, happiness. Promise me we'll never have to run or hide ever again. (pause) Can I count on you?"

Vaughn turned to look at her with smiling green eyes. "Always, Sydney. You can always count on me."

Sydney smiled as they both leaned in for a kiss. Even though, they had kissed many times by now, every time the feeling was still there. That spark of electricity that was always surrounding them. Whether the kisses were passionate or sweet, the spark was always there. Just like their love.

*Okay, okay, I know. Really sappy ending, but I can't help it. I'm a total shipper!! 

Thanks to:

donnatellmarks, H-a.k.a.-VartanLover, Kimmers, Gabs, Jennifer, Coley, Jade, MiniBristow47, chatnoir, Kate, Star, Masquerade, chickyconqueso, stacy, Mrs. Otown, Sydney, Andi Horton, lynn, Sk8er Chick, Mrs.Vartan, Sally Spagetti, Mrs. Swearigen, Vaughnlover, PenguinFlavoredFilm, DoubleaAgent, ryan, blonde-chica, Kristal, vanila, Dani, lanabana, Alexis-17-btvs, Angela, kiki, princessscout91589, Mousey4eva, antonia, theONLYone, geehagoey, Vaughn+Sydney, Sarah, Intel, Lena, Lyddie, Laura, charmedgal005, Secret Agent Girl, hardsoe, Tiffany, Payge-Lynn, Iceskatebaby, Mary Kate, emilia, brynne, cass, and all anonymous reviewers.

If I missed anyone, I am extremely sorry!! I thank you too though.

__


End file.
